Major Disasters’ Impacts on Long-Term Care Settings, Vulnerable Older Adults, and Care Providers

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately negatively affected older adults, and has specifically devasted older adults who are minorities and those who reside in long-term care (LTC) facilities. For professionals working in LTC facilities, major stressors and challenges due to the pandemic must be navigated, sometimes in parallel with the effect that major disasters like hurricanes can have on LTC facilities. This symposium will focus on the impact major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Irma, had on LTC settings and those who live and work there, as well as older adults who are minorities and their communities. First, Dr. Roma Hanks will present findings from a study of community members and leaders in a majority African-American community in the United States (US) about their experiences with and challenges faced related to the pandemic. Second, Dr. Lisa Brown will share experiences and perceptions of mental health clinicians from across the US who worked in LTC settings before and during the pandemic. Third, Dr. Ella Cohn-Schwartz will describe how the pandemic impacted Holocaust survivors ages 75+ in Israel compared to older adults who did not experience the Holocaust. Fourth, Dr. Lindsay Peterson will present findings from interviews with nursing home and assisted living community representatives in the US regarding vulnerabilities LTC facilities experienced related to Hurricane Irma in 2017. As a whole, these presenters will provide insights into experiences of older adults, care providers, LTC facilities, and communities as they navigated challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and a major hurricane.


THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PARENTS' PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND ADULT CHILDREN'S CAREGIVING BURDEN
Dexia Kong, 1 XinQi Dong, 2 and Qun Le, 1 , 1. Rutgers University,New Brunswick,New Jersey,United States,2

. Rutgers University, Rutgers Institute for Health, New Jersey, United States
Using data from 544 older parents-adult children Chinese American dyads, this study aims to understand the association between older parents' physical function and their adult children's perceived caregiving burden. Parents' physical function was assessed by the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Lawton Instrumental ADL (IADL), with higher scores indicating more functional limitations. Adult children's caregiving burden was assessed in five dimensions, including time dependence, developmental, physical, social, and emotion burden. Logistic regression was used to examine the association. More ADL limitations were associated with a higher likelihood of developmental burden (OR:1.14 (1.06-1.23)) and physical burden (OR:1.14 (1.06-1.23)) burden. More IADL limitations was associated with a higher likelihood of time dependence burden (OR:1.08 (1.03-1.12)), developmental burden (OR:1.06 (1.03-1.09)), and physical burden (OR:1.08 (1.04-1.12)). Parents' physical function was not related to children's social and emotional burdens. Practice and research implications will be discussed.

MAJOR DISASTERS' IMPACTS ON LONG-TERM CARE SETTINGS, VULNERABLE OLDER ADULTS, AND CARE PROVIDERS Chair: Leah Haverhals Co-Chair: Katie Cherry
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately negatively affected older adults, and has specifically devasted older adults who are minorities and those who reside in long-term care (LTC) facilities. For professionals working in LTC facilities, major stressors and challenges due to the pandemic must be navigated, sometimes in parallel with the effect that major disasters like hurricanes can have on LTC facilities. This symposium will focus on the impact major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Irma, had on LTC settings and those who live and work there, as well as older adults who are minorities and their communities. First, Dr. Roma Hanks will present findings from a study of community members and leaders in a majority African-American community in the United States (US) about their experiences with and challenges faced related to the pandemic. Second, Dr. Lisa Brown will share experiences and perceptions of mental health clinicians from across the US who worked in LTC settings before and during the pandemic. Third, Dr. Ella Cohn-Schwartz will describe how the pandemic impacted Holocaust survivors ages 75+ in Israel compared to older adults who did not experience the Holocaust. Fourth, Dr. Lindsay Peterson will present findings from interviews with nursing home and assisted living community representatives in the US regarding vulnerabilities LTC facilities experienced related to Hurricane Irma in 2017. As a whole, these presenters will provide insights into experiences of older adults, care providers, LTC facilities, and communities as they navigated challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and a major hurricane.

JUST ANOTHER STORM: CONCEPTUALIZING OLDER ADULTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Christopher Freed, 1 Shoon Lio, 2 Martha Arrieta, 1 and Roma Hanks, 1 1. University of South Alabama, Mobile,Alabama,United States,2. Spring Hill College,Mobile,Alabama,United States Older adults of color who experience health disparities are especially vulnerable to health and economic adversity related to COVID-19. This study focuses on nine zip codes wherein 70.2% of residents are of African-American descent and an estimated 31.5% of residents live in poverty. To understand the lived experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived challenges of COVID-19, and the dissemination of information related to COVID-19, we collected interview and focus group data in Spring 2020 from fifteen community members, leaders, or advocates. Analyses reveal that older individuals approach Innovation in Aging, 2021, Vol. 5, No. S1

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GSA 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting